School counselor sexually assaulted student, CA cops say. Decades later, he’s arrested

A former school counselor was arrested after being accused of sexually assaulting one of his students decades ago, California police said.

In 2021, the Banning Police Department took a report from a person who said they had been sexually assaulted by Ruben Rico Franco, according to a Jan. 2, 2023, Facebook post by police.

They told police that Franco sexually assaulted them from the ages of 10 to 14, from 1995 to 1999.

Police said Franco, who was in his 30s at the time, was a counselor at the person’s school.

After conducting an investigation, detectives gathered enough evidence to arrest Franco, police said.

On Dec. 1, Franco, now 62, was arrested in San Diego, according to KTLA.

He was booked into the Smith Correctional Facility on charges of sexual intercourse with a child under 10, oral copulation or sexual intercourse with a child under 10, lewd act with a child under 14 using force and sexual penetration with bodily injury on a child under 14, according to police.

Franco is being held on a $2 million bail, police said.

Banning is about 85 miles east of Los Angeles.

This story was originally published January 3, 2023 at 10:42 AM with the headline "School counselor sexually assaulted student, CA cops say. Decades later, he’s arrested."